


These Open Waters

by LongGiraffeLady



Category: EXO (Band), GOT7
Genre: Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Romance, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-14
Updated: 2020-06-16
Packaged: 2021-03-04 01:22:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,765
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24725206
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LongGiraffeLady/pseuds/LongGiraffeLady
Summary: Jinyoung's on his first journey out at sea. The water is deeper and bluer and wider than he could ever have imagined, and home seems very far away. Add in some court intrigue, too much cheese, and a very sexy Captain, and Jinyoung may be in over his head.
Relationships: Im Jaebum | JB/Park Jinyoung
Comments: 5
Kudos: 29





	1. Prologue

A dark night, alone on the docks - even as he ran, Jinyoung can't help but think of how unlikely a place this was to find refuge. But with the sound of footsteps growing ever closer behind her, Jinyoung doesn't have the luxury of options. Fatigue and desperation dragged at his heels insistently, untiringly, and the hope of safety-- of any form of sanctuary-- was barely enough to keep him going.

The dock stretches ahead of him, lined with rows and rows of boats, some big enough to be called ships, few qualify to really be called seaworthy. But one ship stands out, the broad, thick silhouette of its vast framework abruptly visible against the dark of the night. It flew no flag that he could see, and he couldn't see her name in the dark but was clearly of Ekritian build, and Jinyoung blesses the Gods for their generosity. 

But he'd already hesitated too long - without another thought, without a break in his step, he throws himself from the pier.


	2. Doable but Difficult

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jinyoung finds that the hardest thing about stowing away on a ship is that you can't just ask the Captain to take you where you want to go. Or make him give you food three times a day.

"I simply don't understand why we're slipping away, guiltily, in the middle of the night, like common thieves." The frustration is evident in his voice, and even understandable, but after two hours of countless repeated explanations that did nothing to convince the Prince that their actions were necessary, Jaebum was feeling a little frustrated himself. The Prince takes a breath to continue his muttered complaints, but seeing Jaebum’s face, he shut his mouth with a snap, and Jaebum turns away to focus once more on finding their way to the ship they'd quietly prepared for the Prince's departure. 

"That's fine. Just ignore me. It's not like I'm the Prince or anything, that's fine." He hears mumbled sulky from behind him, and the accompanying titter of laughter from the youngest of the guards he'd chosen to accompany them. Bright and earnest, Bambam was still in awe of the Prince, and Jaebum had hoped that this calm, diplomatic journey to Mindrang would be a good opportunity for him to learn more about their responsibilities and their Prince. So far though, he doesn't seem to have learned anything, but Jaebum had learned that his two charges were equally bad at observing the need for silence . 

His back prickles with the familiar weight of eyes on him, and he's glad, as always, that Mark was keeping watch over their progress. His second-in-command had scouted ahead and would keep them safe until he rejoined them on the ship.

Finally, they'd gotten close enough to get a good look at the ship. THE GENESIS would have been painted in a beautiful, flowing script, he knew, although it wasn't visible in the darkness. Still, he recognized her immediately, conspicuous in her elegance. Under his orders and with discretion in mind, she was an Ekretian ship; a triple-masted beauty with pristine white sails, the mermaid carved into the stern, her slender arm lovingly pointing the way for their little crew, and Jaebum felt content. There was still plenty that could - and surely would- go wrong, and he would be ready when that time came, but for now, with his Prince beside him, and his men behind them, he felt ready for anything.

Cold and dripping, Jinyoung tries to remind himself that this night could have turned out much worse. Cold and dripping he may be, but he was also alive. The ropes hadn't been too difficult for him to scramble up, and when he'd climbed onto the ship he'd been almost delirious with relief to find that there wasn't a single soul there with him. He wonders for a half-second where the crew was, if delirious was a more accurate description than he'd realised. But Jinyoung was not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, and he quickly tucks away the errant thought. Suddenly, the relief of finding safety hits him and his legs go liquid. The adrenaline that had pushed him this far is fading and he can suddenly feel every part of his body, all of the fear and pain of the past few hours make themselves known in a panicky second. His back hurts where they'd hit him with their billy clubs, his arms ache at the shoulders where they'd twisted, and his legs are stiff with cold. His stomach rumbles. He sits there for as long as hhe can, barely hidden under the moonlight, and then painstakingly pushes himself up, wipes his eyes, and sets out to find dinner. 

The ship itself is not terribly large, with only a few doors opening onto the deck. He listens at the door closest to him and carefully creaks it open when he hears nothing. He lights the lantern swinging above him, and follows the stairs down to a dim hallway with doors opening out on both sides. Through the first door on the left he sees hammocks, already tied up neatly along the walls, personal belongings scarce. A couple of chests are pushed to the side, and he quickly, guiltily, picks out some clothes for himself. "I'll return these one day, I hope." He wonders whether he really will ever have the opportunity. Jinyoung passes by the other rooms quickly until he reaches the galley. The door opens with difficulty, and once inside he quickly carves out a discreet hunk of cheese for himself and stuffs it into his mouth, choking a little in his haste. He gathers some more food for later, and makes his way back to the deck, where he clambers into one of life rafts that are suspended on a complicated pulley system. The stars twinkle uncaringly above him, but their coldness is comforting -even this endless distance from home, the stars are the same.

He thinks of his friends then, closer than home but still far away, and prays for the second time that night. He knows that they're capable enough, and tough enough, but their world is a hungry one; carelessness for them means opportunity for someone else. He's used up so much luck tonight, and Jinyoung worries that there won't be any left for them.

Eyes slowly closing, Jinyoung tries to think only of home.

It's the clamor of voices that wakes Jinyoung up. Loud and masculine, the voices speak of mundane duties.

Within moments, he's learned that the mainsail must be raised, their course must be adjusted to cut into the wind, and that lunch will soon be ready. A few minutes later, he learns that someone named Bambam is not good at raising mainsails, is not trusted to handle the tiller, and has already been banished from the galley. He laughs to himself quietly, and thinks that he likes the sound of this Bambam. 

A few of the voices approach, and he presses herself instinctively against the floor of his little rowboat, The Holebuster. After naming it, it had started to feel more and more like home with every passing hour. 

"If the winds remain this fair we should arrive within a fortnight, Captain." 

Jinyoung startles quietly in his perch; the journey to Ekrite shouldn't be more than 4 days, 5 if the journey is unexpectedly difficult. He listens as they discuss further.

"His highness has given us permission to take our time in our approach." The voice is deep and stern -the Captain, Jinyoung supposes. The man continues, "He doesn't seem to be in a hurry to arrive, and neither am I. Frankly, the longer we can put this meeting off, the better." The voices fade away as they pass by.

Jinyoung wonders if he's dreaming - truly, nothing that either of the voices had spoken of makes sense to r. Who is His Highness? The voices are certainly not Ekritian, even if the ship is. Their accents are clearly Citerin, but why are they using an Ekretian ship? Now that he's thinking about it, the ship must have left the harbor during the night, while he was asleep, but why would this Highness have to sneak anywhere? And who is his Highness? He feels like he's looking at a puzzle that's just missing one key piece, and once he has that, he'll be able to figure out exactly what's going on. The one thing that's clear to him right now is that this ship is definitely not headed towards home.

The disappointment hits him hard; it'd been months since he'd been home, and his heart ached with longing for his family. It's been difficult. The past year has been difficult, long, and hungry. His life now was inherently dangerous, and though the thrill of it had once excited him, lately the rush of adrenaline had burned with an edge of panic, a constant prickling at the back of his neck. Desperation, he thought grimly. He'd hoped that returning home would allow him to rest and heal, maybe give him the security he needed to escape the foreboding that plagued him, but it seemed that that home and peace have to wait just a little longer. 

First, he had to learn more about this mystery ship and its mystery passengers. That'd probably be easier if he wasn't suspended high above most conversations, he thinks ruefully. He'd just have to wait until it was darker and he could climb out of his refuge. He feels the familiar anticipation at the thought of sneaking silently around the ship, the feeling amplified by the lure of being able to return home. Royalty or not, stern-voiced man or not, he was determined that he would have the information he needed by the time the sun rose. He was going home.

Jinyoung spends the rest of the day listening to snippets of conversation that do little to shed light on his situation.

"Winds are looking rough, Cap'n says to pull the boom to port."

“Cap’n Jackson or Captain Jaebum?”

"Does anyone know if there’s any spare rope? " Jinyoung recognises this voice by now as Bambam’s.

“Don’t play around with the rope, kid, we’ll need it soon enough.”

"Captain wants to speak with you, Sergeant Raynor." 

"Bam, don't lean so far over the edge."

The Sun begins to set, and Jinyoung eats a little cheese to prepare for a busy night.

"Does anyone know what's for dinner today?" This voice is loud, and Jinyoung startles and presses herself more tightly to the bottom of his little boat. The response is too quiet for him to hear, but seconds later, there's a bright laugh with that same loud voice. There's quiet for a few minutes as the ship rocks against the wind, then a splash.

" Someone pull Cam back up." There are sounds of a scuffle, then, and he wants to laugh.

"Go dry off and then find Yugyeom in the galley, Bam. Get a move on." Jinyoung distantly approves of the decision to send Bambam downstairs. He wishes that he could look out and watch the crew as they go about their work. Heart heavy, he finishes his cheese and prepares to find some answers.

The barracks are lit by flickering candles, and cramped. Hammocks slung from the ceiling, some closer to the floor, some pulled more tautly, all at odd angles from the others. Sailors chat and laugh as they get ready to sleep, in various states of undress. Bambam and Yugyeom, the ship’s cook, walk in together. 

“I always imagined that he’d be sort of stern and, well, is there a princely way to say ‘up his own ass’?.” Yugyeom says, smiling sheepishly.

“The Prince? Our Prince Kyungsoo?” Bambam scoffs, “The Prince is probably the kindest man on this ship. If there’s anyone you want to be careful of, it’s Captain Jaebum.” The rest of the crew has caught onto the conversation and gathers around Bambam eager for any gossip. Thrilled to have an audience, he launches into a story that Jaebum wouldn't want told, with relish. 

The laughter of the crew is so loud that nobody notices the quiet chuckle from outside the porthole.

Sergeant Mark leans discreetly against the doorway of the Prince’s chambers and peeks inside as he listens to his friend bicker agreeably with Kyungsoo. Moonlight sifts through the open porthole, and a few lit candles cast their flickering light into the deeper corners of the room. Jaebum has commandeered the desk, and the Prince leans comfortably against the wall of the chamber. The wooden floorboards creak under his feet as he shifts his weight, and papers and maps rustle quietly in the breeze from the window.

“All I’m asking is that you stop babying the boy.” Mark twitches a little where he stands. He knows exactly who they’re talking about. It’s an argument that he himself has had with Jaebum many times, and he knows that nobody is going to win this time either. Bam will continue to be Bam, Prince Kyungsoo will continue to indulge him, and Jaebum will continue to complain and not punish the kid at all-- it’s just the way it is.

Mark decides that it’s a good time to interrupt before the discussion goes any further, and sweeps in with a perfunctory knock. He also decides against mentioning Bam falling overboard earlier that day; he’s always liked the kid anyway.

“Have you both had dinner?” Officially, his job is to protect the Prince and to support the Captain, so making sure they’ve both eaten is just part of doing his duty to the crown. Jaebum gestures vaguely at a few empty bowls and Mark takes a seat on the edge of the desk. 

“I called you here because I want to be sure that we’re all on the same page.” begins Kyungsoo, getting right to it. Jaebum and the sergeant exchange glances. 

“I don’t know if we are, Your Highness. Frankly, I don’t even know what book we’re reading here. I was just told to prepare a discreet vessel for your voyage. ” says Jaebum, eyebrows furrowed.

The Prince looks down at his hands, fingers steepled together in thought. “I received a message from Mindrang”, he begins slowly. “It requested my presence in Mindrang, and promised that should I go, I would be pleased with what I learned. It asked that I arrive with discretion. Although I didn’t realise that would mean sneaking through the streets at the asscrack of dawn” he chuckles wryly before sobering again. He takes a moment and then says quietly, “And it suggested that I don’t tell my father.”

There’s silence as the two men process what they heard, then Jaebum asks, “Did you not tell the King, then? Where does he think we’ve gone?” There’s no judgement in his voice, just curiosity.

“I did not. I think it would be best for us to look into this further before we involve father.” He hasn’t looked up since he began speaking, and Jaebum knows that the decision has weighed heavily on him, but he can guess why the Prince had made his choice. 

“I agree -- there’s no need to bother the King with something that may turn out to be nothing. We can report back to him once we return.” He says gently, and although the Prince doesn’t look entirely reassured, he thinks he looks a little less upset.

“It was unsigned, and not in the King’s script, but it was sealed with his official seal.” Kyungsoo tacks on abruptly. “I assumed it was his secretary, but truthfully, that’s unlike him.”

Mark speaks up this time, “ Whatever it is, we’ll deal with it.” Kyungsoo cracks a smile at his confidence. It’s true though, whatever happens, they’ll face it together, the three of them, same as always.

By the time he refocuses, Mark has moved onto other topics. “By the way, Bam mentioned that he’d spoken with the cook, who’d said that one of the crew members had complained to the Captain- Captain Jackson, that is -” His brow furrows.

“-God that’s going to get confusing.” Mark cuts himself off, “Can we just call you Sergeant while we’re on the ship, Captain?” Jaebum eyes him balefully as he snickers.

“How could I give you orders if we’re both Sergeants, Sergeant?” 

“Would you prefer if we called you Lieutenant?”. Mark says, guffawing.

“Sounds like someone’s fishing for a promotion. Would you like to be a Major, Jaebum?” Kyungsoo suggests with a grin.

“Would I be demoted back to Captain when we get disembark?” Jaebum says after a thoughtful pause.

“The position of Captain is a very important one, Jaebum.” The prince replies, skirting around the question.

“Then I’m not interested, thank you very much.” He sniffs, and if his mouth tests out the words, ‘Major Jaebum”, well, nobody sees as he sweeps out of the room.

The remaining two sit in the room chuckling quietly, until, “So what did Bam say, that the cook said the crewmember said Captain Jackson said?”

His position precarious outside the Prince's window, Jinyoung takes a minute to think over everything he’d just heard. At least he understood now why he’d ended up on this ship, why it was disguised as something it wasn’t. The news about the King of Mindrang settles in the back of his head and makes him uneasy, but he figures it’s not his problem, really. The main problem is still getting home. He starts climbing the rope steadily back to the deck as he contemplates.

Mindrang was adjacent to Ekrite, but it was a freezing, inhospitable country. The majority of the continent was of the opinion that the description applied to both the people and the land. Trade routes were scarce by land, and barely trafficked, with sea trade being the much preferred option, even though it was indirect. Security was almost non-existent on the single road that crossed from Mindrang to Ekrite, for the simple reason that it was not needed; the Dehaigh Mountain Range that ran along the Mindrang’s eastern border and separated their two lands made crossing over next to impossible. He shudders at the thought of hiking through the freezing climate, and tries to think of an alternative, any other way to get back to Ekrite.

Jinyoung peeks through the railing and scans around the deck quickly, then, seeing no one, throws his leg over the railing and hops over with a sigh. He’d found himself doing that often over the past two days, and it's almost surprising that her lungs haven't given out yet, he thinks sullenly. 

He refocuses and considers travelling home by water, as he slinks from shadow to shadow in the direction of his tiny boat. He doesn’t have any money to pay for his voyage, but he supposes he could just sneak on board a ship, maybe find another liferaft to hide aboard if he was lucky, although none would be as comfortably as The Holebuster, he thought fondly.There’d probably be a ship heading towards Ekrite within the week, although he has to admit that there have been fewer Mindranian ships visiting the Ekretian port lately. He hears heavy footsteps getting louder and ducks behind the main mast of the ship, squeezing his body into a tight circle in the shadows. The footsteps continue to approach, and then fade away just as quickly. The journey would be doable then, but difficult, he thinks, as he continues towards the The Holebuster. He sighs again as he crawls into the blanket he’d found tucked away in his temporary home, and sternly tells himself that it’s the last one he gets for today. After all, he may be in the wrong place, with the wrong people, but at least he has a little more information now than he did yesterday, and he didn't even have to hang outside of too many windows to get it. And he has the beginnings of the start of a part of a plan. Overall, things could be a lot worse, he thinks, trying to stay positive. His thoughts are interrupted by his growling stomach, which he ignores as he waits for sleep to find him.

An hour later, Jinyoung is still awake. His stomach aches with hunger, and he thinks for the first time in his life that an all cheese diet isn’t as appealing as it sounds. His stomach growls again, and he wonders if this is how he gets caught. Of course, he muses, finding some food now would simply save him a trip later. And if he eats a little now, he’ll be more prepared for whatever he’ll be faced with tomorrow. Expression brightening, he sits up. He guesses the next step to getting home, then, is to go down to the galley and have a good, fortifying dinner. It’s the only logical choice, he thinks. And with a smile on his face, he slides out of The Holebuster, and heads out to overcome the next obstacle on his journey home-- hunger. 

There’s nobody on deck. Only the lookout should even be awake right now, and his gaze would be directed outwards, towards the hazy edge of the horizon so, so far away. Jinyoung feels lighter than he has since the beginning of this ordeal, his steps ghosting against the polished wood of the deck. He feels like he’s the only person on board, like he’s the captain and if he wanted to, he could turn the ship around himself and point it straight home. He drifts silently down the staircase, down that same hallway, familiar now from the night before. When he comes to the galley door he pauses for a moment, cautious and alert for any noise coming from within, and when he hears none, he cracks the door carefully open. The inside is much the same as it was before, maybe a little messier, a little more lived in. He’d been in such a rush the last time, he hadn’t had the luxury of looking around. Now, he sees vegetables piled in baskets, prepped for the morning meal. Dried pepper and spices hang from the ceiling, and fill the room with a dense, potent aroma. He likes it down here, he decides, it’s cozy. And warm. He browses the room, tasting a sliver of cheese here, a sip of some sort of broth left over there. Lingering, comfortable outside of The Holebuster for the first time, he doesn’t notice the dark figure behind him until it’s too late.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey my babies,
> 
> We're still warming up, but everyone's expected to meet pretty soon, and I think things are gonna get pretty interesting.
> 
> So of course, this story's set in a fantasy world, and I have a pretty clear idea of what the map looks like. I hope it all makes sense, but definitely let me know if you're confused, and I'll try to make it a little clearer.
> 
> There are also a couple of p.o.v. changes, I hope that makes sense too hehe.
> 
> Clearly, everything's under control over here.
> 
> I can't wait to post the next chapter!


	3. Shadowed Shapes, Shadowy Words

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First Meetings!

The galley is dark and quiet when Jaebum enters after struggling with the door for several long moments. It’s one of his favourite places on the ship for that very reason; in such tight quarters, sharing sleeping quarters with the whole crew, it can be hard to just have a moment to himself. He allows his mind to wander as he steps further into the room. A floorboard creaks loudly to his left, a quick, sharp noise, completely unlike the long, drawn out creaks that were the norm on THE GENESIS. Jaebum freezes, unsure who else would be down here at half past midnight, in the dark, although he doubts that it’d be Yugyoem when he has to wake up early to make the morning meal. He slinks forward silently, slowly creeping between the dried garlic and peppers strung from the ceiling. It might be nothing, but he hadn’t become the Captain of the Prince’s Guard by being careless. He reaches the inner corner of the L-shaped room, and peers around the bend. The room is lit only by the dim moonlight sifting through the porthole, but he can make out the shape of a man, edges of his figure blurring and shifting in the shadow. He’s not very big, maybe around Jaebum’s height, although a little narrower around the shoulders, and slender. Jaebum’s sure he could take him down easily, if it came to it. The clouds part and the wan moonlight hits his form more fully, filtering easily through the man’s worn clothing. JB can see that he’s not slender, but reed-thin, skin pressed tight to bone, the ridges of his spine easily visible, and Jaebum would bet that he could fit both his hands around the man’s waist. 

Jaebum’s certain that he would have remembered the stranger if he’s seen him on the ship before, but he has to admit that he hasn’t taken too much time to really get to know the crew yet, too preoccupied with the Prince and planning for their time in Mindrang. He secretly thinks that this man needs whatever supplies he may be stealing, but he’s never let his personal opinion get in the way of doing his job before. He leans against the wall, arms crossed at his chest, his face a steely mask hiding his conflicting thoughts.

“What’re you doing here?” His voice isn’t very loud, stern and steady instead, but the man whirls around in shock. His eyes are wide and his mouth is parted, in an almost comical caricature of surprise. And guilt. Jaebum can practically hear the thoughts clearly racing through the man’s mind. Excuses, lies, and pleas for mercy, all plainly being considered and discarded in silence. Jaebum takes the opportunity to study the man’s face. Pretty, is his immediate thought, lightning-quick. His hair hangs in his face, and with each panicked exhale it flutters around his eyes. Big, brown eyes, lightly ringed by smile lines that are in no danger of being used right now, and underlined with bluish-purple shadows. Soft lips, pink even in the moonlight, and slightly too big ears complete the picture and Jaebum wishes for just a heartbeat that they could have met under different circumstances, maybe an inn, because this man is attractive and too thin and Jaebum just wants to spend a few hours feeding him, because he’s only human. Instead he’s stuck dealing with whatever this is going to turn into. “I asked you a question, sailor.” He needs to find out more about this imposter, but then the man’s eyes brighten, with recognition maybe, and hope that Jaebum doesn’t suspect anything too amiss. If it wasn’t for the Prince, if Jaebum was a slightly less careful man, and if he had just a little less integrity, he might be willing to pretend that he believes whatever story the man is obviously going to feed him, because the desperation on his face, his threadbare clothing, and the haggard set of his face all tell a story that make Jaebum’s heart squeeze.

“Its-” The man wets his lips nervously, “ It’s just so cold tonight, and I couldn’t sleep, so I thought I’d come down here and warm up a bit,” his voice trailing off, “I’m sorry for disturbing you, Captain.” He tacks on hurriedly, and starts to sidle towards the door as inconspicuously as a person can while being looked at directly. Jaebum is just surprised that he knows who he is, and wonders for a moment if he’d misjudged him, but then he remembers that look of shock that the man had given him just moments ago. He grabs him by the back of his collar as the man edges carefully around him, and tugs him back abruptly.

“I didn’t dismiss you yet, sailor.” Jaebum considers him for a moment, “What’s your name?” The man’s clearly overwhelmed now, and Jaebum feels that horrible tug on his heart again and forces himself to ignore it.

“Jinyoung, Captain. Park Jinyoung.” He answers haltingly.

"Is there anyone else down here with you?" Jaebum makes a show of looking around.

"No, just me" The man - Jinyoung - says, hurrying to reassure Jaebum that he's not in danger, no sir, nothing dangerous here. Jaebum has to work to contain his laughter. He stays silent for a few minutes, allowing the other man to stew. An old trick that he learned many years ago; sometimes the most successful predator is the one who allows his prey to put its head between his jaws.

Jinyoung waits for Jaebum to speak, and as the silence stretches on he begins to get restless. 

"If there isn't anything else, Captain," he trails off, ready to leave. Jaebum raises an eyebrow, and doesn't say anything. Jinyoung brow creases in annoyance, and he tries again.

"May I _please_ leave now, _Mr. Captain Sir_?" His tone is sugary, sweet as taffy and poisonous, and Jaebum feels like he’s caught a glimpse of the type of man Jinyoung is, and he wants to push him a little.

" What's the name of the sailor who sleeps beside you?" He asks abruptly. Clearly taken aback, Jinyoung takes a second to respond.

"Bambam. His name is Bambam." He answers warily.

"His last name?" Jinyoung makes an aborted movement to roll his eyes, Jaebum can tell.

"We only met yesterday. I haven't had the chance to conduct an interview yet." He snarks , and oh, Jaebum likes this side of him much better. He pretends to ignore the other man's tone and follows up quickly with another question

"What's the Captain's name?" Jinyoung brightens.

"Captain Jackson." He answers, excited to know the answer.

"What did we have for dinner, tonight?"

"Fish stew." Jaebum guesses that he smelled it cooking, and the questions speed up, rapid-fire now.

"What's the name of the cook?"

"Yugyoem. I dont know his last name," he adds with a small smile.

"Why'd you join this crew?"

"To see the world, meet beautiful women - the usual." the smile widens, and Jaebum smiles a little too.

" You know we're only going to Ekrite, right?" Jinyoung falters a little here, looking a little stricken. 

"I thought we were going to Mindrang...?" He wonders, an odd tone in his voice.

"Ah, right. My mistake." He'd passed the first test, but Jaebum hadn't thought it likely that he wouldn't. 

"What's the most precious cargo this ship is carrying?" He asks suddenly, smile gone, having finally reaching the question he needs the answer to. He watches sharply as he waits for an answer. Jinyoung hesitates, and that's all the answer Jaebum needs.

“Are you aware that creeping through the galley at midnight can make you look like a thief, Jinyoung?” He blanches and rushes to claim his innocence. 

“Captain, I swear that’s not why I’m here. You should hear them back there; everyone’s snoring, Nobody would be able to sleep through that. And the Captain! The Captain's snoring must shake the entire ship, I'm surprised you haven't noticed it yet.” Jaebum has no idea what he’s talking about and he’s sure that Jinyoung doesn’t either, but the sincerity with which he says it is a sight to behold. 

“Ask anybody on the ship. Ask Bambam, he’ll vouch for me.” Jinyoung’s’s still talking, with a firm nod and such confidence that Jaebum’s actually impressed, even as he knows that this man has never met Bam in his life. He stares at this strangely attractive, proud man and tries to figure out what he should do. Probably take him to the Prince. Jinyoung looks at him beseechingly, and Jaebum thinks of how much he doesn’t want to kill him. Definitely take him to the Prince, who’s the best chance Jinyoung has of making it off this ship alive. But first, he'll get Mark or Bambam to help him watch over the prisoner.

“Alright, let’s go ask Lieutenant Bambam.” He eyes Jinyoung carefully, and sighs when the other man doesn’t acknowledge the erroneous title; another trap set, another trap that Jinyoung has fallen into, and the case against him builds. The man swallows nervously and nods, and Jaebum wonders what the other man is planning to do now. Jinyoung moves towards the door, and Jaebum doesn’t hesitate to follow behind, close enough to reach out and grab him if he were to try anything. 

Jinyoung tugs at the door handle, apparently too weak to pull it open. He moves to the side, and gestures towards it. 

“Can you open it- looks like it's jammed,” he brightens after a moment “Just like always.” He says with a winning smile, and wow, Jaebum hadn’t been prepared for that. His eyes really do crinkle when he smiles, Jaebum notes distantly, even as he thinks with amusement that Jinyoung is still trying to show off how familiar he is with the ship. He recovers and tugs Jinyoung back in front of him where he can’t run away or attack him while he’s distracted, holding him firmly by the collar of his shirt again, and ignores the stuttered exhale from the other man. He reaches around Jinyoung’s waist, his wrist light against his side, and grabs the door handle. The door is troublesome, and he has to move closer to Jinyoung to get the right leverage, his chest brushing lightly against his back. Jinyoung’s stopped breathing, and Jaebum just wants to open the door but the blood thundering in his ears is making it hard to pay attention to what he’s doing. He finally hauls it open, and Jinyoung leaps forward to create some space between them maybe, or to run away and assassinate the Prince, Jaebum doesn’t know, so he grabs urgently into the darkness, hard. There’s a grunt and Jaebum’s pulled off his feet into the shadowy hallway. At least he lands on something soft, and he thoughtlessly hopes that Jinyoung managed to land on something equally pleasant. There’s a moan of pain from under him and he rushes to get off his soon-to-be prisoner, who’s fall was clearly not as agreeable as Jaebum’s. He’s blushing furiously now, feeling like the whole night’s gotten away from him, and he makes a concerted effort to pull himself together. He’s making things hard for himself and Jinyoung with his sloppiness, and his frustration runs from hot to icy cold focus. This man could be the secret lovechild of the Mindrangian King, and he would still have to take him into custody, because his duty is to his Prince, so he hardens his heart and holds his hand out to brusquely pull up a pained Jinyoung.

“Sorry about that, haven’t gotten my sea legs yet.” He says with a rough chuckle, clearly lying.

“I know what you landlubbers can be like.” Jinyoung says tightly, clearly aware that Jaebum’s lying. They stare at each other for a moment, each trying to get a read on the other. Finally with a sigh, Jaebum says, “Let's go find Bambam.” 

“You know what? He’s asleep, we probably shouldn't bother him. Let’s just forget about all this. I’ll just take a shift in the lookout perch.” Jinyoung suggests hopelessly, and his face has gone so cold suddenly, that Jaebum feels a pang of fear. Later that night, lying awake in his hammock, Jaebum will imagine this to be the exact moment Jinyoung gives up on the charade, maybe on making it off this ship alive, but Jaebum won't let himself be affected, he won't.

He looks at Jinyoung for a long moment, “You know I can’t let you do that.” he says quietly. Jinyoung doesn’t say anything, just allows follows silently when Jaebum pulls him towards the Prince’s chamber.

They stop quickly by the sailors' quarters, Jaebum pushing the door open.

"Corporal Bambam," He calls out, and in his periphery he sees Jinyoung droop, "We have an intruder on board. Follow me to the Prince's room." He sees Bambam jerk out of bed and rush over, hauling on his belt. Mark follows at a more sedate pace, taking everything in with wide eyes. The rest of the crew has woken up at the noise, and they also follow along as the whole party moves towards the Prince's chamber.

"Shouldn't we tie him up, Captain?" Mark asks, leaning in close to Jaebum's ear so the prisoner won't hear. Jaebum hesitates; he can't forget Jinyoung's face when he turned around and saw Jaebum standing behind him, exhausting painted in heavy strokes against his features. 

"I don't think that's necessary, Mark," he murmurs, " He's not in any shape to run right now." They've arrived outside the Prince's room.

Mark sighs, "It's about the principle of the matter." he protests half-heartedly.. 

Jaebum ignores him and knocks on the door, three brisk raps.

"Enter." he hears Kyungsoo call out, and Jaebum can only hope that he will be merciful.

~  
Prince Kyungsoo looks up from his papers, brow raised, as Jaebum brings Jingyoung forward, tailed by Bambam and Mark. His eyebrow climbs higher and higher, almost disappearing into his hair as the rest of the crew squeezes into the small room, stragglers relegated to watching eagerly from the doorway. Jaebum stops Jinyoung in front of the Prince, moving to stand beside the Prince as Mark and Bambam step forward to hem their prisoners in on either side.

"I found this stowaway in the galley, where I believe he was stealing food. He says he's here alone, and his name is Jinyoung." Jaebum lists of his crimes, face blank, as the Prince studies the prisoner in front of him.

"His arms aren't bound." He observes. 

"I didn't believe they were necessary." Jaebum explains softly, and looking him over, Kyungsoo can see what he means. But Jaebum knows that isn't a sufficient explanation; this is the first time Jaebum hasn't immediately dispatched a threat to the Prince's safety in the many years that he has been the Captain of the guard, and before that, the Prince's childhood guard and companion. Jaebum is not an easily changeable man, and he can see in Kyungsoo's eyes that his interest has been piqued.

"How do we know you are who you say you, _Jinyoung_?" It's plain to everyone that he doesn't believe that's his real name.

Jinyoung barely looks up from the ground when he replies.

“How do I know that you really are the Prince?” The whole room is freezes. The question is disrespectful to the point of suicidal, and said with a flash of sass, the way only a man who doesn't care if he lives to see another day could. The Prince just levels him with a steady look, considering. 

“Captain Jaebum, please find me a coin. A Citerin coin.” He specifies, and Jaebum thinks he knows what Kyungsoo has in mind. He digs out a silver coin and shines it quickly on his pant leg before handing it over to Kyungsoo, as Jinyoung looks up curiosity barely hidden in his eyes. He holds up the coin to the light, and shows the face to Jinyoung. 

“Do you see the face on the coin?” Jinyoung nods wordlessly. “This is the face of the King of Citurn. Now look at my face. Do you see the resemblance?”

Jinyoung is silent for a moment as he carefully looks from the Prince to the King’s impression on the coin and back again, finally breaking the silence after several tense moments. At least Jaebum is tense, although the Prince looks supremely unruffled. Stressed and bothered, Jaebum just has the presence of mind to wonder why this man's fate has him so apprehensive. Kyungsoo's knowing looks throughout the conversation just heighten his discomfort.

“The noses are different. Yours is bigger.” Every word is laced with suspicion although his eyes twinkle. Jaebum barks a dumbfounded laugh that he tries to disguise as a cough when he sees Kyungsoo glower at him. He's in disbelief because surely Jinyoung must realise that every word he says is an extra yard of rope around his neck. He's given up on anticipating any part of this conversation, just along for the ride now.He’s aware of Mark leaning in a little closer to get a better look and the Prince looking a little flustered under the weight of the entire crew’s gaze as they all silently realize that, yes, the Prince does have a surprisingly large nose. Jaebum knows for a fact that nobody has ever told Kyungsoo about his nose for the simple reason that he’s never had to arrest anyone on grounds of insulting the Prince’s nose. Jinyoung looks like he’s trying not to laugh, and Jaebum wonders this restraint was two minutes ago. After a pause the Prince speaks.

“Yes, well, it is a picture of my father, after all," said with great dignity, "Now, I have proven myself to be who I say I am. It is your turn to do the same.” Even as he listens, Jaebum marvels at Kyungsoo's graciousness, and is reminded again of how proud he is of the man that the Prince grew up to be. He was right to bring Jinyoung to him. But he thinks he's spoken too soon, when he tunes back into the conversation. The Prince is still speaking, eyes hard, and tone severe, "Explain to me why I shouldn't kill you right now."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone,
> 
> Things are getting a little more intense, and I'm having a blast writing this out.
> 
> Hopefully the next chapter will give our characters a bit of breathing room, but for now they're going to have to be on their toes. I think they're tough enough to handle it, but maybe I should sweeten the deal for them a little hehe.
> 
> See y'all soon!


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